New reports of the unknown mental health crisis affecting the hospitality industry across the UK have been released by R;pple, the suicide prevention charity.
An eye-watering three in five (59%) of hospitality workers are experiencing mental health conditions whilst at work, and one in two have thought of suicide, self-harm or other harmful, negative thoughts. This means most of us would have at one point come face-to-face with someone having a mental health crisis whilst they ‘happily’ serve customers.
Shockingly, over half (55%) of respondents who are or have experienced mental health conditions whilst working in the sector, have also searched for harmful content online whilst in their workplace, with almost a fifth (19%) having done so multiple times.
Almost two-thirds (61%) have been concerned about a colleague’s mental-wellbeing and three quarters (75%) of hospitality workers were concerned that their colleagues were accessing harmful content while in the workplace, which is sadly, only one click away. Harmful self-injury content is prevalent across the main five search engines; one in every five (22%) search results linked to, in a single click, content which celebrates, glorifies, or offers instruction about non-suicidal self-injury, suicide or eating disorders**.
The research also unveiled that out of those who rated their mental wellbeing as poor, two thirds (66%) of hospitality workers suggested that their work/job is the main catalyst; long working hours, zero-hour contracts, high stress environments and a work hard/play hard mentality are among the key issues contributing to the problem in the industry.
R;pple is campaigning for change in partnership with industry friends the Revolution Bars Group – the popular chain that has rolled out the R;pple tool on its Wi-Fi networks for all its employees nationwide – and The Burnt Chef Project – a community for mental health support and education for the hospitality industry.
R;pple is calling on employers to sign up to its five commitments, such as mandatory suicide prevention training, for employers to pledge to, to make positive changes and protect their workforce.
Alongside Revolution Bars and The Burnt Chef Project, R;pple will also be hosting a panel talk and Q&A to ignite conversation and change and help reduce the stigma around suicide. Taking place on 30th September in central London, key speakers will include Alice Hendy MBE (R;pple), Kris Hall (The Burnt Chef Project), Danielle James (Revolution Bars Group PLC) and others to be announced that faced their own mental health crisis in the industry with powerful stories to tell.
Alice Hendy MBE, founder of R;pple, said:
These statistics are a stark reminder of the need for change. The positive news is mental health stigma is lifting, but we still found only around half of those concerned about a colleague encouraged them to talk. We need to make sure that everyone working in a highly affected sector like hospitality is protected by their employers in the workplace online, in the same way their health and safety is protected physically.
Alice Hendy MBE, founder of R;pple
For more information on R;pple’s World Suicide Prevention Day Campaign, and to discover and sign up to the five commitments for your business, head to https://www.ripplesuicideprevention.com/get-involved/hospitality-pledge
Joanne is the editor for Workplace Wellbeing Professional and has a keen interest in promoting the safety and wellbeing of the global workforce. After earning a bachelor's degree in English literature and media studies, she taught English in China and Vietnam for two years. Before joining Work Well Pro, Joanne worked as a marketing coordinator for luxury property, where her responsibilities included blog writing, photography, and video creation.